Last Meeting's Happenings

Announcements: The club has logged 153 volunteer hours!!"Star Volunteer" for Fall 2008 was Liz Hodge. Congratulations, Liz! You get to choose a gift certificate at a store of your choice in the amount of $25. Thanks for helping out! For Heartwalk 2008, we raised $85 for The American Cancer Society. Thanks to all who donated money. Helping Hands and Paws Food Drive was a success this year. We collected over 60 lbs of food and supplies for Boca Helping Hands and Florida Humane Society. We also got 25 more signatures for potential members in the breezeway.

Reports: Dr. Nichols (advisor) met with Dr. Perry, Dean for Biological Sciences to establish pre-veterinary classes. Updates will be posted. COSO approved money for club account in the amount of $2,506. With that money, we plan to fundraise for Florida Humane Society, promote adoption and spay/neuter programs for homeless animals and develop our educational lecture series. The first PVMA newsletter will be posted in late December. All members are encouraged to post articles for the first edition. Pieces must be submitted to CGonza48@fau.edu no later than Dec 5th. Anyone who would like to donate notes/tests from old classes, please contact Dana Mulvaney at dmulvane@fau.edu. We ask that you scan your notes onto a CD if possible before submitting. Dana will post a list in Dec showing subjects available for those who need them for Spring 2009. We will be ordering club t-shirts in January. If you have paid your membership dues, please forward your information and shirt size to CGonza48@fau.edu.

Here is a list of upcoming volunteer opportunities and events:

Pet Pictures with Santa Paws: Happening Dec 14th 12-6 pm, professional photographer on site, Florida Humane Society will be there promoting animal adoptions. This event is scheduled at Fur Crazy Pet Salon in Boca Raton, west of the turnpike on Glades Rd. If you would like to volunteer, contact CGonza48@fau.edu

Decoration Prep: Help us make the props for Pet Pics with Santa Paws Sunday, Nov 30th in the school library 2-5 pm. If you would like to volunteer, contact CGonza48@fau.edu

Canine Christmas Caroling: Bring your pooch Christmas Caroling at local shops and restaurants in Mizner Park on Dec 20th 6-8 PM. Sheet music will be provided. We will be asking for tips to help fundraise for upcoming club events. If you would like to volunteer, contact CGonza48@fau.edu


Presents for the Animals: This event is hosted by the Palm Beach Zoo Dec 21st 9-5 pm. Come visit the animal exhibits and donate money for enrichment gifts for the animals. Fun for all ages.

Florida Humane Society Volunteers needed: Go to the Florida Humane Society link on this page and fill out a volunteer form. We will be hosting volunteer events every second and fourth Sunday of the month 11-3 pm. Volunteers will help socialize dogs and cats, teach basic commands to dogs and help us to develop off-site adoption events in the future at local community events and dog parks.

Tradewinds Stables: Go to the Tradewinds Stables website and fill-out a volunteer form. We will be hosting volunteer events every third Saturday of the month 12-4 pm. Volunteers will help clean-out horse stalls, schedule horse therapy sessions for disabled individuals, learn to groom horses and observe farriers and equine veterinarians assist in the care of the Tradewinds therapy horses.

Jan Events:
First Day of School Jan 5th
Lecture Series, Student, Massey University Jan 14th 4-5pm
General PVMA Meeting Jan 21 4-5 PM

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Jungle Island Tour a Success!

For everyone who got to attend the Jungle Island VIP tour, thanks for your cooperation throughout the entire day. The curator, trainers and staff at Jungle Island were so thrilled to present this opportunity to such an enthusiastic audience. This was a wonderful opportunity for everyone all around and we hope to repeat the experience next year for those of you who could not attend. Special thanks go out to Eunike Stenersen for all her hard work to make this possible!! This was an experience of a lifetime! Great job everyone.

Rumor Control

There is some confusion with regard to the next meeting and the guest speakers. On MONDAY, we have a guest speaker, Dr. Elizabeth Waugh will be giving a talk on life as a small animal vet in a local practice. This will occur 6-7 pm in the Admin Building, Rm 234. We will be serving a buffet dinner. On TUESDAY, we have our general meeting which shall include a surprise guest speaker (no longer a surprise), Dr. Dianne Owen. SHE will be speaking briefly about the feral cat population on-campus and how the FixIt Committee can become involved in helping restore ecological balance to the community of iguanas, cats, tortoises and burrowing owls. This is considered old business and will be addressed in the course of club business. The meeting is scheduled for 5-6 pm in the Admin Bldg, Rm 234. Hope to see you there.

Meeting RE-SCHEDULED

Just a reminder to everyone that the next meeting was re-scheduled due to an issue with our guest speaker's schedule. Dr. Owen will speak to us briefly at our next meeting which has been moved to Tuesday November 25th 5-6 PM in the Admin Bldg, Rm 234.

General Meeting

Come join us for our next general meeting on Nov 25th 5-6 pm in the Admin Bldg, Room 234. We will be covering topics involving upcoming events, advances in development of the Palm Beach Veterinary Society scholarship and important volunteer opportunities you won't want to miss! Please RVSP for this event at CGonza48@fau.edu or contact Christie Gonzalez if you have questions. Get there early, get there late, just get there!

Introduction to Small Animal Medicine by Dr. Elizabeth Waugh

All PVMA members are invited to the first lecture in our educational lecture series, "Introduction to Small Animal Medicine" presented by Dr. Elizabeth Waugh, DVM. The lecture will be hosted in the Admin Bldg, Room 234 6-7pm and will consist of a short 20-minutes introduction by Dr. Waugh followed by a question and answer section. Food will be provided by Chartwell's compliments of Student Government support. Please contact Christie Gonzalez at CGonza48@fau.edu to reserve your spot as seating is limited. We respectfully request that you send your list of questions in advance to the same e-mail address provided above. Hope to see you there.

Helping Hands and Paws Food Drive

The PVMA will be in the breezeway Nov 19th, 20th and 21st to host our first annual Helping Hands and Paws Food Drive. Donated items will benefit Boca Helping Hands, a local human shelter AND the Florida Humane Society, a wonderful no-kill animal shelter, this Thanksgiving season.

Boca Helping Hands needs canned soups, canned vegggies and fruit, canned Chicken and Tuna, vienna sausage, small juice boxes, small cereal boxes, tomato products, large cereals, boxed pasta, beans & rice, Mac-n-Cheese, travel size shampoos, soaps, toothpaste, toothbrushes, razors and seasonal Thanksgiving canned and boxed foods.

FL Humane Society needs Adult/Kitten Wet & Dry food, pet beds, towels, pillow cases, bath rugs, scoopable kitty litter, litter boxes, disinfectant sprays, paper towels, large trash bags , bleach, food and water bowls , adult cat trees, pet toys , pet treats , pet shampoo, slicker brushes, flea combs , scratching posts, collars, and heating blankets.

Help us to make the season of giving alittle brighter for homeless humans AND animals alike. We need volunteers to help host the table in the breezeway between the hours of 11 am and 2 pm. We will also be asking for donations to the PVMA and will have two "mascots" from Florida Humane Society to bring attention to the table. We still need a wagon or cart of some sort to put our donated items in as well as a collection box for PVMA donations. Anyone interested in helping out, please contact Christie Gonzalez at CGonza48@fau.edu or at 772-812-1252. Donate your time for volunteer hours on your transcript or donate items for a good cause.

Jungle Island Tour

All PVMA active members who have paid their dues are eligible to join the PVMA at Jungle Island for a group VIP tour on Sunday, November 23rd. Cost per person will be $20.00 with carpool transportation provided to and from FAU Boca campus. We will meet at FAU in front of the Student Union building in Parking Lot 1 at 8:30 AM on Sunday, November 23rd and will return around 3 PM that same afternoon. Drivers needed. You MUST rsvp for this event no later than Wednesday, November 19th at 5 PM so we can give Jungle Island an accurate headcount. Please come dressed in closed-toed shoes and FAU t-shirts as our event will be filmed for an excerpt in the local newspapers and TV news stations. E-mail your rsvp to Christie Gonzalez at CGonza48@fau.edu. Feel free to call if you have questions or if you can volunteer to drive at 772-812-1252.

Thanks to everyone who volunteered at The Pet Project Dogwash on Saturday, Nov 8th. As you can tell from the pictures, not EVERYONE was as excited as we were about the dogwash but everyone agrees the event was a wonderful success thanks to the volunteers! Good job everyone.

Here is a list of events for November:

Nov 4th - Veteran's Day (No school)
Nov 12th - Exec Board/Chairs Training "Plan a Fundraiser" 12-1 PM
Nov 13th - Exec Board/Chairs Training "Plan a Fundraiser" 12-1 PM
Nov 18th - General Meeting, Admin Bld, Rm 234 5-6 PM
Nov 19th - Helping Hands and Paws Food Drive, Breezeway 11-4 PM
Nov 20th - Helping Hands and Paws Food Drive, Breezeway 11-4 PM
Nov 21st - Helping Hands and Paws Food Drive, Breezeway 11-4 PM
Nov 23rd - Jungle Island Field Trip 9 AM to 4 PM
Nov 24th - Lecture, Dr. Elizabeth Waugh "Intro to Small Animal Medicine
Nov 27th - Thanksgiving Weekend (No school)
Nov 28th - Thanksgiving Weekend (No school)

Please contact Christie Gonzalez with any questions at 772-812-1252 or via e-mail at CGonza48@fau.edu.

The Pet Project "Dog Wash"

Saturday, November 8th The Pet Project is hosting a dog wash in Wilton Manors from 11AM to 3 PM. The Pet Project is a nonprofit organization that serves the needs of low-income pet owners who are living with AIDS, terminal or disabling conditions and illnesses. This organization offers comprehensive services designed to help these individuals keep their animal companions. The dogwash is a fundraiser desgined to raise money for this worthy organization. Dogs will be washed under shaded tents by volunteers for a fee of $15 per dog. Licensed groomers will be on-site to offer assistance to volunteers and to provide dryer services for an additional fee of $10. Everyone is welcome to bring their dogs and the event is open to all.

We need 8-10 volunteers who can work 11-1PM or 1-3PM. Volunteers earn a free t-shirt, a free lunch and the appreciation of pets and pet parents alike!! Please contact Christie Gonzalez at 772-812-1252 if you have questions, need a ride or need directions to the event. Can't wait to see you there.

Leadership Institute

The Division of Student Affairs is excited to introduce a new leadership opportunity for students at FAU! Starting in November, students will be able to participate in one of two monthly leadership institutes based on their self-indentified leadership level. The two leadership institute opportunities are:

Emerging Leader Institute: A monthly leadership program offered to freshman to develop their leadership skills. Students will be placed in groups of 15 – 17 students to engage in a shared leadership curriculum. We will cover topics such as communication, leadership foundation, teamwork, and more!

Breakthrough Leader Institute: The FAU Breakthrough Leader Institute is a monthly leadership program provided to sophomore year and junior year students, with an emphasis on those students presently involved in student clubs/organizations. Participants will be placed in a group of 15 – 17 students to engage in a shared leadership curriculum. We will cover such topics as challenging the process, inspiring a shared vision, modeling the way, and more!

In order for students to take advantage of this opportunity, they simply need to fill out the form on our website and return to the appropriate location by November 7, 2008.

http://www.fau.edu/sda/leadership/institute.php

For those who sign-up, please also contact Ticia Adams at tadams23@fau.edu to ensure your volunteer hours are registered to the PVMA.

Peer Advising Workshop

Registration for Spring 2009 is almost here. The Spring schedule is already up at MYFAU and open registration starts on November 15th. If you are having trouble determining what classes to take, what classes are available or have any other questions concerning registration for the Spring term, please contact Christie Gonzalez at 772-812-1252 or send an e-mail to CGonza48@fau.edu. We will match you up with one our peer advisors, a senior PVMA member, who can help you find the classes you want or need to meet your degree requirements.